It's over (but for us it has just begun)
by moonsofmars
Summary: Jericho's point of view about the end of the war and first meeting with Guila after they have won.


**A/N: **My first attempt to write Guilicho! I wrote this weeks before chapter 307 went out, so it's obviously different from what happened (even though I fixed a few things). I don't know, I just wanted to write something soft about those two girls and that happened.

Hope you like it!

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**_It's _****_over (but for us it has just begun)_**

Jericho pulls out her sword from the Red Demon's stomach with a hiss – the blade looks like dusted with ice crystals, like every time she allows her power to run through her weapon –, her arm aching as a consequence of the hours she has passed fighting. She doesn't even know how many Demons she has killed by now, she has lost count after the twelfth, and to tell the truth, she doesn't even care anymore. She won't stop until they will all die, until Liones will be safe, and so she turns, ignoring the fatigue and the way her body is aching everywhere, ready to attack another Demon, and she sees … nothing.

She blinks, and for a moment she stays still, too surprised to react; then she slowly lowers her sword, looking around suspiciously. Until now, the Demons has never stopped coming, no matter how many of them were killed, but now it seems that there are none of them else around there.

That's … strange. Suspicious. She doesn't like that.

Then, she raises her head and she sees them; they are everywhere in the sky, floating over the city like a flock of raptors, and so she immediately lifts her sword again, ready to use all her power to resist whatever attack they are planning. But soon she realizes that they are flying away, turning their backs to Liones and just … leaving, without looking back.

Jericho blinks again, too puzzled to do anything more than just stare at them for a few seconds. That makes no sense, why are they leaving? They weren't losing. On the contrary, she has to admit, they were probably gaining position, worming their way through the city – they were too many, too many for them, and every time that one of them died, it was replaced by another one. So, what happened?

She cautiously takes a step, still not entirely convinced that there are no Demons around, but the only figures she spots are those of the other Holy Knights – not her team, though, she lost Dreyfus and Griamore at least an hour ago and there were too many Demons to stop fighting and go looking for them. A few yards from her, a young woman with dark hair is looking around with a confused expression, holding tightly her sword, and when their eyes meet, Jericho sees a spark of hope in her features, and that's a feeling that she is starting to feel too. But she doesn't want to lay her guard down. By now, she can say that she knows Demons, and she won't underestimate them. She doesn't want to be taken by surprise, never again.

At that moment, she feels it. They all feel it, it's obvious by the way they all turns simultaneously towards the same direction – the direction of Camelot. Jericho shivers and swallows, her eyes wide. There is enormous, terrifying energy coming from there – even more huge than before, so strong and vast that she can perfectly feel it even if it's miles away. For a moment, she thinks she will die. She will die here, in the middle of Liones' ruins, none of her friends with her. She thinks about them, in those moments – she will never see them again; she didn't even say goodbye to Ban and Elaine – are they still alive?, she briefly wonders – and to all the others, and then she thinks about her brother, who died to save her – for nothing, because she will die here, now. And she thinks about Guila – she will never see her again as well, won't she? And that's not fair because she wants to speak to her one more time, to tell her-

But the energy, whatever it was, is already disappearing. It just stops, like a flame extinguishing all of a sudden, and Jericho finally can breathe – she hasn't even noticed that she was holding her breath. It's over, she thinks. She doesn't know exactly what is over, but she just knows. Something, out there, it's just finished.

Suddenly, she hears some screams, and her heart reaches while she grabs her sword again, turning towards their direction. There are surely other Demons left, and it was foolish of her to think that it was over, of course, it wasn't over, it would have been too easy. But when she looks, there is no Demon, just a Knight who waves at them from a surprisingly still standing tower. The man points at something in the distance, out of Liones, but he doesn't seem scared at all; Jericho realizes with surprise that he is smiling, or so it seems, and that's probably the first smile Jericho sees from too much time.

"They are back!" He yells when he finally seems to find the words. "They are back!"

For a second, Jericho doesn't understand – who is back? Then, she sees them, entering the city from the remains of the walls. The Knights who have left Liones for the war. They are back.

Not all of them, though. Jericho realizes this immediately, they are so few of them, nothing like the large group that left Liones just some hours ago – it was so little time? It has seemed like centuries. It hurts her like a punch, to see the effects of the war just under her eyes, the thought of all those persons who died to defend their home and their loved ones.

What if Howser is one of the fallen? What … what if Guila is one of them? Jericho's legs shake and her head is spinning, and for a second she is afraid she will fall on the ground. She can't lose them too, not so short after Gustaf.

She finally manages to step forward without falling. She needs to know, but at the same time, she is terrified of what she will discover if she asks. She raises her head, looking at the crowd, but her vision is blurred, and for a moment she can't focus. Even though they are less than before, there are still so many faces, looking with round eyes at the ruins of their city, and she rapidly scans them, but she can't find –

The second later, Howzer is tight there, standing out between the other Knights, yelling orders with his lance in his hand. Near him, her hair unusually messy and her face stained with blood and dirt, stands Guila. She is listening to him, nodding to his words, and then she approaches another Knight and says something to him, pointing at something towards Liones.

For a second, Jericho can't move, she can only look at them, her eyes wide, her heart pounding. They are alive. At least, they are alive. She heaves a sigh of relief, finally lowering her sword, but she still can't speak and she can't manage to move towards them, her legs still unstable. Moments later, it's Guila who notices her, and regardless of the distance between them, Jericho feels something like a jolt shaking her body when their eyes meet. They stay like this, looking at each other, for a long moment, then Guila finally approaches her, moving through the crowd like it doesn't exist, and she never stops looking at her. Jericho doesn't even notice that she is moving too until they meet halfway.

"You are alive," Guila says when she is close enough, her voice low and raspy; her thin lips curve in a little, tired smile. "I'm so glad you are alive."

"Yes," Jericho breathes, trying to smile back – probably not the best smile of her life, but it doesn't matter. "I'm happy to see you alive too." She really is and she would like to make Guila understand that, but she struggles to find the words.

Before any of them can speak again, the crowd starts screaming. Guila looks around, a confuse and alarmed expression on her face, and Jericho's breath stops for a moment – what's happening? There is some new enemy? What-

But theirs are cries of joy and when she looks she sees some Knights exulting, some laughing, and others just letting themselves fall on the ground whit an expression of relief. Even Howzer has stopped giving orders, and he is standing out there, his face turned towards the sky, a laugh shaking his body.

Jericho exchanges a confuse look with Guila, then she manages to stop a man who is passing near her. "What … what's happening?"

The looks at her with wide, bright eyes, an almost too big smile on his face. "Didn't you hear? How didn't … the War is over, they won, the Seven Deadly Sins won, it's …" He shakes his head and laughs, then moves away, still shouting, "It's over!"

The yells and the cheers continue, but Jericho has stopped hearing them, and the only person she still sees is Guila, who is looking at her with a mix of joy and disbelief that it's probably also in Jericho's eyes. They did it, they really did it. They won the war, and they are alive.

At that moment, Guila smiles to her, taking another step towards her, and Jericho is doing the same, finally her lips curving in a true, large smile. She doesn't know exactly who is the one closing the distance – maybe she does it, maybe Guila does it, or maybe it's the both of them– but it doesn't matter, because the second later they are embracing and above all they are kissing, Guila's soft lips on hers, and it's wonderful.

They separate too soon – really too soon – and they look at each other with the same wide eyes. Jericho blinks, wondering if it really happened, but it's just a moment because then Guila gives her soft smile, her cheeks flushing a bit. "I think I should go to Zeal, now, he will still worrying about me." She murmurs, looking into her eyes.

"Oh," Jericho mutters, trying not to be a bit disappointed at the idea to be separated from Guila so soon. "Hum, yes, of course, I understand."

Guila shakes her head, still smiling, and offers her hand to her. "What I meant is, do you want to come with me?"

Oh. Jericho feels herself blushing, but she doesn't care, too overwhelmed by the warm feeling that is running through her body, making her feel lightheaded and relaxed. "Yes," she whispers, taking Guila's hand. "Of course."

A moment later, they are moving, their hands joined, and Jericho is not even bothering hiding the large grin on her face. Guila doesn't as well.


End file.
